THE BRILLIANT SIMPLICITY OF BRASS TYRE DEFLATERS
The 4WD industry is full of gadgets that can make our life that little bit easier. They don’t have to be big things either, sometimes it’s all about the smaller and the simpler the better…
By now, we all know why we let our tyres down – a much larger footprint gives much better traction.
A softer tyre allows it to mould around rocks and sticks to help against punctures, plus, a softer ride eases the suspension work rate and overall ride of the 4WD.
Last weekend, we were out in the High Country, up Bulla way. B1 (Brett) needed to let his tyres down and he pulled these little brass tyre deflators out. He simply walked around the 200 Series and screwed them down and walked off.
I, on the other hand, have always used the speedy tyre deflators, which I love, but after getting up from the third tyre with my knees struggling from sitting crouched while I let the air out, I suddenly took more notice of these little brass things.
I first saw these Staun tyre deflators when they came out years ago, and I’ve seen them from time to time ever since and have been duly impressed on each occasion.
The ones that B1 had, were just a copy of this great product. B1 doesn’t even remember where he got them from. They are very basic to use and are pre-set to a PSI of 18.
Of course, if you do want to get slightly technical, you can actually override them with a separate PSI if you like.
From what I can see, they are just a simple apparatus that works with a valve and a spring. As you tighten the valve, the spring tension is greater so it holds a larger pressure. And, when screwed out, it releases tension on the spring so it lets out air to a lower PSI.
B1 sat down and watched me walk around the car while he simply waited for the valves to stop letting air out and then he unscrewed them and refitted the valve caps.
The other thing I thought of? If you have a desired PSI then, depending on your driving, it doesn’t take long for the tyres to heat up.
When the tyres heat, the pressures will increase, so setting a pressure to 22PSI may soon see the pressure rise up to 26. Depending on your driving, this is when you may want to stop and drop the pressures a second time.
Unfortunately you can’t just screw them on and leave them as, believe it or not, they are actually quite heavy for their size and damage to the tyre valve could occur through the centrifugal forces from the wheel spinning.
Adjusting the pressure beyond your set PSI may mean that you also need to carry a tyre deflator as well, but for most of us we usually stick to one set PSI.
Beach driving may be the only time that dropping tyre pressure further may be an advantage, sometimes driving in mud as well.
These little brass deflators just seem to work and if you can take the time to preset them to the pressure you want, then it becomes even easier again.
GO NUTS!
Adam
